Secretariat [DVD]

A house wife with little knowledge of horse-racing fosters one of the greatest race horses of all time as the story of the 1973 Triple Crown winner comes to the screen in this inspirational underdog drama based on the novel SECRETARIAT: THE MAKING OF A CHAMPION by William Nack and starring Diane Lane and John Malkovich. Penny Chenery (Lane) is a devoted mother and housewife whose ailing father is the proprietor of Meadow Stables in Virginia. When her father becomes too ill to tend to his horses, Penny agrees to take over the stables despite her inexperience. Desperate, she turns to veteran horse trainer Lucien Laurin (Malkovich) to help show her the ropes. Up to this point, horse racing has been a decidedly male-dominated sport. But with Lucien's help, Penny prepares to prove that gender has no bearing on one's ability to breed a fast race horse. As Secretariat blasts out of the gates to leave his competition in the dust, the whole world watches in amazement, and a legend is born.

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Credits

Diane Lane, John Malkovich, Dylan Walsh, Scott Glenn, Dylan Baker

Critic Reviews

"Lane, in a series of wigs to portray the blond Penny Tweedy, holds the film together with a sturdy performance that suggests, in moments, a mystical connection between horse and owner."Hollywood Reporter

"Lane, in a series of wigs to portray the blond Penny Tweedy, holds the film together with a sturdy performance that suggests, in moments, a mystical connection between horse and owner."Hollywood Reporter

4 stars out of 5 -- "[T]his thrilling and inspiring entertainment about the legendary, 1973 Triple Crown winning horse should have audiences standing up and cheering."Box Office

4 stars out of 5 -- "[T]his thrilling and inspiring entertainment about the legendary, 1973 Triple Crown winning horse should have audiences standing up and cheering."Box Office

"Lane projects the combo of homespun warmth and steely determination that has always been intrinsic to her screen appeal. Of the sterling supporting thesps, Cromwell is a subtle standout..."Variety

"Lane projects the combo of homespun warmth and steely determination that has always been intrinsic to her screen appeal. Of the sterling supporting thesps, Cromwell is a subtle standout..."Variety

"[With] a strong and satisfying performance by Diane Lane....She is an actress with an instinct for honesty, someone incapable of false moves, and her restrained focused, performance as Chenery is a graceful stabilizing force here."Los Angeles Times

"[With] a strong and satisfying performance by Diane Lane....She is an actress with an instinct for honesty, someone incapable of false moves, and her restrained focused, performance as Chenery is a graceful stabilizing force here."Los Angeles Times

4 stars out of 4 -- "It is a great film about greatness, the story of the horse and the no less brave woman who had faith in him."Chicago Sun-Times

4 stars out of 4 -- "It is a great film about greatness, the story of the horse and the no less brave woman who had faith in him."Chicago Sun-Times

"[SECRETARIAT] actually captures some of the thrill of racing. Wallace and cinematographer Dean Semler film each race of the Triple Crown distinctively and cleverly..."Movieline

"[SECRETARIAT] actually captures some of the thrill of racing. Wallace and cinematographer Dean Semler film each race of the Triple Crown distinctively and cleverly..."Movieline

3 stars out of 4 -- "With this stirring, thoroughly entertaining movie, director Randall Wallace has achieved the next to impossible, injecting genuine tension and suspense into a narrative we all know the ending to."Wall Street Journal

3 stars out of 4 -- "With this stirring, thoroughly entertaining movie, director Randall Wallace has achieved the next to impossible, injecting genuine tension and suspense into a narrative we all know the ending to."Wall Street Journal

"Lane, in a series of wigs to portray the blond Penny Tweedy, holds the film together with a sturdy performance that suggests, in moments, a mystical connection between horse and owner."Hollywood Reporter

"Lane, in a series of wigs to portray the blond Penny Tweedy, holds the film together with a sturdy performance that suggests, in moments, a mystical connection between horse and owner."Hollywood Reporter

4 stars out of 5 -- "[T]his thrilling and inspiring entertainment about the legendary, 1973 Triple Crown winning horse should have audiences standing up and cheering."Box Office

4 stars out of 5 -- "[T]his thrilling and inspiring entertainment about the legendary, 1973 Triple Crown winning horse should have audiences standing up and cheering."Box Office

"Lane projects the combo of homespun warmth and steely determination that has always been intrinsic to her screen appeal. Of the sterling supporting thesps, Cromwell is a subtle standout..."Variety

"Lane projects the combo of homespun warmth and steely determination that has always been intrinsic to her screen appeal. Of the sterling supporting thesps, Cromwell is a subtle standout..."Variety

"[With] a strong and satisfying performance by Diane Lane....She is an actress with an instinct for honesty, someone incapable of false moves, and her restrained focused, performance as Chenery is a graceful stabilizing force here."Los Angeles Times

"[With] a strong and satisfying performance by Diane Lane....She is an actress with an instinct for honesty, someone incapable of false moves, and her restrained focused, performance as Chenery is a graceful stabilizing force here."Los Angeles Times

4 stars out of 4 -- "It is a great film about greatness, the story of the horse and the no less brave woman who had faith in him."Chicago Sun-Times

4 stars out of 4 -- "It is a great film about greatness, the story of the horse and the no less brave woman who had faith in him."Chicago Sun-Times

"[SECRETARIAT] actually captures some of the thrill of racing. Wallace and cinematographer Dean Semler film each race of the Triple Crown distinctively and cleverly..."Movieline

"[SECRETARIAT] actually captures some of the thrill of racing. Wallace and cinematographer Dean Semler film each race of the Triple Crown distinctively and cleverly..."Movieline

3 stars out of 4 -- "With this stirring, thoroughly entertaining movie, director Randall Wallace has achieved the next to impossible, injecting genuine tension and suspense into a narrative we all know the ending to."Wall Street Journal

3 stars out of 4 -- "With this stirring, thoroughly entertaining movie, director Randall Wallace has achieved the next to impossible, injecting genuine tension and suspense into a narrative we all know the ending to."Wall Street Journal